Laziness leads to bad beer

[kbowman]

I recently kegged my IPA (made with mostly Citra hops w/Magnum for bittering) and I neglected to take a gravity reading. Today, after a week in the keg, I tried a sample and it was awful. I have made this recipe before and loved it. Has a "sweat sock" smell and a buttery taste. I checked the gravity and it was 1.027, much higher than usual--Safale S-05 yeast. Is this diacytl or just the sugars that have not been converted? I was wondering about pulling the kegs (10 gallon) and setting them at room temperature. Thoughts?

 

[MeBrew2]

I haven't done any high gravity IPAs but I would say it is definitely due to not giving the yeast time to clean up after themselves. From what I've read yeast first process glucose then sucrose and fructose. Then maltose. Then uses the enzyme maltase to convert maltotrios into glucose and something else. Then it devours the glucose and you hit terminal gravity. THEN the yeast goes around cleaning up byproducts of all these fermentations and it takes a while.
So not hitting terminal gravity means there are some unfermented sugars and other byproducts still in the beer.

 

[Phunhog]

If I were you I would pull the kegs and let them warm up to room temp. Make a small yeast starter for each and pitch the starter at high krausen directly into the kegs. Seal back up, open the relief valve, and cover with foil. Basically you are hoping to restart fermentation and get the FG down to where it needs to be AND clean up anything else. Let it go for a week or two. Chill and pour out the first few glasses of trub.
Of course all this is assuming that you didn't screw something else up....like mash at 165 or something like that.

 

[kbowman]

Phunhog--This is exactly what I was considering. Is this just theory or have you (or anyone else) tried this. There were no other mistakes. Mashed at 152. I just was brewing a lot of beer after Christmas (to resupply and because I was on vacation) and I became a little too "automated" in my practices.

 

[Phunhog]

Phunhog--This is exactly what I was considering. Is this just theory or have you (or anyone else) tried this. There were no other mistakes. Mashed at 152. I just was brewing a lot of beer after Christmas (to resupply and because I was on vacation) and I became a little too "automated" in my practices.

I have never had to do it but have heard of other brewers doing this. It should help out your situation .